I want to feel better and look better. I want to prepare for the future and avoid the health problems my father and grandfathers went through. I want to compete and be an athlete again. And then I want to brag about it.

About me:

I'm a 26 year old male working in consulting in Washington, D.C. I've always been overweight, and after a health scare in 2010, I got serious about losing weight. After a good four months, I put it all back on in the course of a year. And did the same thing the year after. I think I'm finally ready to commit for the long haul.

Diets I like:

Calorie counting

Workout of choice:

I enjoy strength training and occasional swimming.
I've gotten into cardio, whether running, a stationary bike, or an elliptical. I use the bike most often because I'm recovering from an injury.

My plan:

I do a low-calorie diet six days a week and a seventh day eating one meal that I'd like within reason.

I need the most help with:

Self-control - I love food, I love to cook, and my weekends in particular turn into smorgasbords. I undo in a weekend what I did in a week.
Patience - it's always hard to look at the scale and see nothing after dieting for a week or two or a month.
Sticking to a cardio program. I enjoy it, but I don't love it yet. I tend to rationalize with myself as to why I don't really need to do it today. But so far I've stuck with it.

Additional Info:

I have found that the best thing for me to do is to keep the foods I tend to snack on - nuts, crackers, cheese - out of the house. I do everything from scratch now, though I occasionally eat frozen food, and I'd rather throw extra ingredients or food away than keep it in my house and be tempted.